Realgar
is an extremely rare gem and is somewhat unstable. With
exposure to light, Realgar will begin to alter to a
different mineral, Pararealgar, and eventually deteriorate
to a powder. Fortunately, this process takes a very long time however.
Ancient Chinese carvings of Realgar still exist but are
badly damaged by the deterioration. Realgar should be kept in the dark in an enclosed
container and only exposed to light for brief periods.
The color of Realgar is truly amazing, a very intense
orangish-red, and is well worth the effort to preserve
it. Because of its Arsenic content, Realgar
is somewhat poisonous and should be handled carefully.
It is also very, very soft with a Mohs hardness of only
1.5 - 2.0, and therefore difficult to facet.

There
are only a few locations worldwide for fine Realgar
crystals. One of the best known locations is at the
Shimen mine, 33 km southeast of Shimen, Hunan Province,
China. Another location known for fairly large crystals
is the Palomo Mine, Castrovirreyna Province, Huancavelica
Department, Peru. Very fine large crystals are also found in the
USA at the Getchell mine, Potosi district, Humboldt
County, Nevada.